MINADER and FODECC on Friday February 7, 2014 signed a FCFA one billion accord to kick-start the FCFA 50 billion project.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) and the Development Fund for Cocoa and Coffee (FODECC) have reached an agreement to take off a six-year support project for quality and quantity production of cocoa and coffee in the country capable of withstanding competition in the international market. By the agreement signed between MINADER boss, Essimi Menye, and FODECC's management committee chairman, Ebobo Theodore, on Friday February 7, FODECC will disburse FCFA one billion for MINADER to take off the FCFA 50 billion project expected to span through 2014 - 2020.

Speaking during the ceremony, Minister Essimi Menye said the FODECC funds will lay the groundwork for the project, promising his determination to mobilize other funds before the end of 2014 so that the project could be effectively executed. "We intend to improve the quality of cocoa and coffee so that it would ensure value addition to the sectors. We will do everything so that by the end of the year, we will have at least 50 per cent of the financing," he said.

The project, the Minister noted, is a multi-task initiative which consists in training farmers as well as those who are supposed to implement the project on the field, improving the treatment of the farms and bringing in new technologies in the processing of the produce. "We are going to introduce the fresh treatment of coffee beans so that farmers will sell their beans after harvest to the cooperatives. We also need to improve the functioning of cooperatives so that at the end of it, we should be able to improve the quality and quantity of the produce and the revenue of the farmers as well," the Minister said. He added that the target is setting up cocoa and coffee processing plants in the country so that value could be added to the produce before export.

Meanwhile, Ebobo Theodore pledged FODECC's continual determination to stand by government and farmers to ensure quality for the country's export produce. "Quality is priority in the marketing of cocoa and coffee and we hope that the FCFA one billion we are giving will help farmers to produce better and in good quality. We hope MINADER will take off the project with what we have given before pursuing the rest of the financing," he said. The FODECC's chairman however expressed worry on the current state of farm-to-market roads in the country, pleading with government to do something, else farmers' efforts of producing in huge quantities would be brought to zero if the produce is unable to leave the production zones to the market.